What happens when a mature woman falls victim to the allure of the modern Asian Ball Jointed Doll? Will the devious doll divas succeed in separating balljointedwoman from her hard earned cash? Which diva will earn herself a new fashion this week? Stay tuned for the latest installment of As the Resin World Turns.

Monday, January 11, 2016

FairyLand FeePle60 Moe Lacrima and the Elsa Project

I didn't expect FM60 Lacrima to arrive in time for January's doll meet-up, so imagine my surprise when she was delivered on the Wednesday before the Saturday meeting. I won't say she threw me into a panic, but she sure made me scramble to finish her outfit. After all, I couldn't show her off wearing only a body shirt and corset!

The first wig: Monique Gold's Bea

Excuse me if I didn't take in-progress photos--there was no time. Here are the patterns I used: For the skirt I lengthened The Patchwork Pansy's #SD67 Just My Style, letting it flare from just below the knees to the floor, then added the slit partway up the right leg. I had to work with two layers of fabric, the plain but shiny fabric I selected originally under a see-through layer with a swirling pattern of glitter. The skirt pattern called for a full lining. I replaced that with just enough lining to finish the waistline, otherwise the skirt would have been too thick. She was already looking chunky in the midsection because of the double-layered corset over the body shirt.

The second wig, and crown, from Dollmore

By the time I got around to the cape I had half a day left until the meet-up. I used Simplicity pattern #S0747 (shown at the outset of the project) and merely lengthened the cape. In fact, I cheated the pattern a little bit. Instead of sewing around the applique, I took single stitches here and there to anchor it. I should probably go back and sew it properly, otherwise the applique sticks out like wings.

She also needed a face-up. Basic Lacrima is FairyLand's Tears of Raven doll without the full set costume or face-up. I'm actually getting the hang of painting my own dolls, which is to say I've improved somewhat since I started. Of course, I'm not usually racing both the clock and the elements. The sun was shining the afternoon she arrived and the temperature was hovering just above freezing. Good enough. I had to work fast to finish her before the sun disappeared and the temperature began to drop. Frozen droplets of MSC do not enhance a face-up.

I worked with a photo of Disney's Elsa in front of me. It soon became obvious that Lacrima's sculpt wasn't the best choice for Elsa. With several round-eyed FairyLand sculpts available, why did I select one with small narrow eyes? Also, her lips are too full. I did the best I could with pastel powder and watercolor pencil. Finally I decided it was the spirit of the character that mattered, not an exact copy.

There are some things I wish I had done differently, like the shade of the eye shadow (it should be a deeper purple) and the fullness of the lips (which I could have minimized). I also have a smear of color where the propellant in the can of MSC carried some loose powder away from her lips and left it on her cheek. I will in all likelihood repaint her next Spring when warmer weather returns. Maybe not as Elsa next time. I'll let her decide who she wants to be.

I bought two wigs for Elsa. The first one is Bea, a new wig from Monique Gold. It's not braided, and when I saw how curly it was all over I decided it would be foolish to attempt braiding it. (I know a mess-in-the-making when I see one.) I'm using it as an alternative wig for when Elsa wants to let her hair down. The second one, which became my primary wig, is a braided wig from Dollmore. I had plenty of opportunity to study this wig before ordering one for Elsa, because Dollmore sent me one in a smaller size as a gift when I bought my last Judith Girl. The style is not exactly Elsa's. The hair is braided all around the head near the hairline, with a ponytail at the nape. All it needed was to braid the ponytail loosely and sweep the bangs up instead of to the side.

Lacrima has that "new doll" stiffness that makes her hard to pose. I expect she will loosen up over time and I will be able to get more sweeping arm movements out of her. For the time being Elsa must summon the ice with some restraint.

4 comments:

Congrats on getting your Lacrima, she is so stunning!!!The dress looks so perfect on her, love it! And the faceup is really cute. I agree with you: the essence of the character is what matters the most :D